Hyde, Jekyll, and I Season 2: Moonstuck
by kdramaqueen
Summary: Seo-jin and Hana are enjoying their happily ever after together, all thoughts of the past gone. However, everything changes when Fly Me to the Moon plays on the radio, sending Hana into a hypnotic state that Dr. Kang can't pull her out of. What exactly did Tae Joo plant in her mind, and why is he insisting that this isn't his fault?
1. Chapter 1

Hana stares out the passenger window, eyes distant. Her mind has been elsewhere the past few days, and Seo-jin wishes he knew why. He has been busy lately, busier than ever, so he has a hard time putting his finger on when this started.

"You never told me where we're going, Seo-jin." Hana says, pulling him from his thoughts.

"That would ruin the surprise." Seo-jin replies. He's driving in the direction of Wonderland, and it's a road that Hana knows well.

"True." she admits. "But I'm not sure that I'm in the mood for surprises tonight."

"Are you not feeling well?" Seo-jin asks immediately, taking the opportunity at the stoplight to take a good look at Hana's face. She does look paler than usual. His brow furrows. "If you're sick, you should have told me."

"It's not that. I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little tired tonight." Hana says reassuringly, giving Seo-jin a small smile. "If you can't tell me where we're going, could you give me a hint about what we're doing? Is it just you and me tonight?"

"I suppose hints are okay." Seo-jin answers, deciding to play along. "The circus troupe could possibly be there. And Secretary Kwon might be there, too."

"So just you, me, the circus troupe and Secretary Kwon?"

Seo-jin nods and Hana visibly relaxes. He parks the car, gets out and then moves around to the passenger side to open Hana's door. With the news that the evening will only contain close friends, Hana's demeanor is much more cheerful, and when she smiles, it reaches her eyes.

They walk hand in hand to the Wonderland performance theatre. The circus troupe is already there, seated and waiting for them to arrive. Secretary Kwon walks up and greets Seo-jin and Hana in his usual nervous way and Seo-jin leads Hana to the front row to sit.

A projection screen has been setup in the center of the stage along with a podium. Once Hana is seated with popcorn in hand, Seo-jin makes his way to the stage to speak.

"Greetings, Wonderland Circus family. Thank you for joining us this evening. I appreciate your discretion and assistance with setting this up. I'm sure you're wondering why you're all here-"

"Yes we are, Mr. Awesome!" Jin-joo yells from her seat in the audience. "The suspense is practically killing me."

Seo-jin gives her a bored look. "This would go faster if you didn't interrupt."

"Yeah. Shut up, Jin-joo." agrees Woo-jung, throwing a handful of popcorn in the older woman's direction.

Seo-jin continues talking before the impending catfight can start. "Tonight we are here to preview a future Wonderland exhibit, one that focuses on some of the lesser known history of the park. Wonderland Circus has been a part of Wonderland from the start, and it's high time the public knows just how instrumental the troupe and their leaders were in making the park what it is today."

That got everyone's attention, and all eyes are staring at him expectantly.

"So let's take a journey together, back to the start of it all. This is our history, and it shapes the park to this day." Seo-jin finishes, completing his small introductory speech.

Seo-jin takes his seat beside Hana as the lights dim and the movie begins to play. Her head is on his shoulder already, and her hand finds his in the dark.

The footage plays, documenting the long history between the themepark and the circus. Three generations of Hana's family and his.

"In truth, it was the death-defying acts of the initial band of circus performers that made Wonderland a place that people would remember and visit again and again. The rides, games and exhibits came later, funded by the profits generated by the circus troupe. The themepark eventually gained an identity of its own apart from the circus, but without them, there would be no Wonderland today." the narrator says.

Seo-jin can't help but think that many of the early circus acts were just plain foolish. Aerial ballet on a rope with no net. Freefalling from the face of a clocktower with no parachute. Jumping to and from the moving trains that used to run through Wonderland. The tricks were dangerous and borderline suicidal, and that drew in the crowds.

And then there were the strange acts that must have been some sort of hoax. Ginormo the Ginormous: A midget who believed he was a giant and supposedly broke boards, lifted cars and bent metal beams. Bartholomew the Barber: A blind knife thrower who was so accurate, his knives were said to shave the stubble of the men who volunteered as targets. Eli the Electric: A man who supposedly electrocuted himself on stage on a regular basis. These charades were so expertly pulled off that people actually believed what they were seeing.

Now the footage is more recent, and Hana's father appears on screen. He's training tightrope walkers, and then sword swallowers and fire breathers. In the next scene, he's working with a large gorilla named Bo Bo, teaching him how to shake hands and greet visitors. Under Leader Jang's direction, members of the circus troupe walk across hot coals, lay down on beds of nails and wrestle with lions and bears. The skill level of the director and circus performers was so high, it all looked like magic.

Finally, the footage has caught up with the present, showing Hana and the troupe performing in front of a crowd of amazed school children. It was Hana's first time fire dancing in front of an audience, and her performance was excellent. Only later did Seo-jin discover that Hana had seriously burned her lower back while twirling the ropes with flames on the ends. Her smile never faltered. Then the footage cut to Hana's modern cirque routines and Woo-jung's aerial cheerleading stunts.

The movie is finished and the lights come back up. Seo-jin goes back to the podium. "At the end of this film, we will add something about what the circus is currently working on. This exhibit will be kept perpetually up to date, celebrating the current accomplishments of the troupe."

Everyone applauds, and when Seo-jin's eyes catch Hana's, he sees that they're full of unshed tears. Seo-jin's relationship with his own father gives him little to go on in terms of how Hana must feel, having lost a father she truly loved. She stands and joins him at the podium.

"May I?" she asks, motioning to the podium. Seo-jin is a planner, but Hana is an improviser extraordinaire, able to wing performances and speeches on the fly.

"Of course, Hana." he replies. She gives his arm a squeeze before standing before the circus troupe, something clearly on her mind. Seo-jin makes his way back to his seat in the audience.

"They used to do some crazy stuff, didn't they?" Hana says.

The circus troupe laughs.

"We could learn a thing or two from their example, Leader Jang." says Eun-chang. "If that guy could electrocute himself, surely I can jump a few cars with my motorcycle. It's loads safer than the stuff your father had his performers do."

"Be quiet, you brat." says Jin-joo harshly.

Seo-jin cringes inwardly. He wasn't aware of any discord within the circus troupe, and the last thing he wants is to be the cause of conflict between Hana and her performers. The point of the exhibit was to give credit to the circus troupe and secure their place in history. In no way does he want the modern circus acts to go back to the dark ages.

"If you reach the point where I think you're ready to do something like that, Eun-chang, I'll allow it. But that may never happen. I'll always put your safety ahead of putting on a good show." Hana replies. "Today, we have that luxury. In the past, they didn't. If you didn't wow the crowd, you didn't eat. It was a different world back then."

Eun-chang pouts and folds his arms, clearly unhappy with Hana's decision.

"I agree with her, Eun-chang." admits Woo-jung in a low voice. "After all I went through with Robin, the last thing I want is to end up with a reckless daredevil. If you're going to be stupid, tell me so I can break up with you now."

Eun-chang gapes at Woo-jung. "Hey now, Woo-jung..."

"I have a story for you." Hana interrupts. "It actually happened on this very day, five years ago. I was training with a circus troupe in Quebec. The work was hard, and father had been calling me once or twice a week, telling me that I was foolish to train under them. But I was determined to go out and learn something new. I wanted to become a strong leader so father could retire and not work so hard. He swore that he could teach me all I needed to know at home, but I knew better. I knew we needed to innovate in order to keep our place at Wonderland."

Hana had never talked about her time away from Korea other than the passing mention of some time spent in Las Vegas. Seo-jin glances out at the circus troupe and decides that they probably haven't heard much about it themselves, judging by how intently they're listening.

"On that day, our trainers had us working on trampolines. I always loved trampolines since they held good memories for me. Memories of home and family. However, there was one student who really disliked the trampoline, and he tried to convince our trainers to have him practice somewhere else. They wouldn't listen. Instead, they told him to watch me and copy what I did. So we practiced together, and by the time we got done, he seemed to feel a little better about it. As I was packing up to leave, I heard a commotion in the training room and ran back in. My fellow student had tried to do a simple flip and landed on his head. He was rushed to the hospital, but they couldn't help him. He died later that evening."

Seo-jin suddenly understands Hana's mood the past few days. The timing of the new exhibit's unveiling is either incredibly lucky or incredibly unlucky. Only time will tell which is the case.

"So, I decided right then and there that I would do as my father asked and come home. My cellphone had run out of battery during my time at the hospital, and when it powered on, I had missed two calls. One was from my father, and the other was from a doctor. My father had died that night."

Seo-jin remembers Hana's words earlier in the evening. _"But I'm not sure that I'm in the mood for surprises tonight."_

The timing is unlucky, Seo-jin decides. He glances at the older members of the circus troupe. He wishes now that he had collaborated with them instead of taking on this project himself. They could have warned him.

"With him gone, I had no choice but to stay and study with the circus troupes abroad, since he could no longer teach me." Hana continues. "I moved from branch to branch, finally settling in with the group in Las Vegas. It was safer there, though we were still pushed too hard. I nearly died twice. I know that I sometimes seem too cautious, and compared to others, I am. However, I'm all about nurturing your inherent potential rather than allowing you to do something that you aren't able to pull off."

Eun-chang nods. "I'll try to be more patient, Leader Jang."

"Thank you, Eun-chang. Let's work together to make your motorcycle act the very best it can be." replies Hana. "Seeing the clips of father tonight makes me remember just how charismatic he was. His gift was the ability to convince his performers that they could achieve whatever was required for the act. Once convinced, the performers were able to go forth and do amazing feats. There was never one fatality with my father in charge. My grandfather was a cold, hard man from what I can remember of him, but he too could convince performers that they were superhuman, if only while out on the stage. I am not my father, and I'm certainly not my grandfather, but I think that together, our troupe has the potential to live up to the standards set forth by our predecessors. But it will be done in the right time, and in the right way."

"Thank you, CEO Goo, for creating this exhibit. It's a beautiful way to commemorate and preserve the history of the circus troupe. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that we will work hard to prove that we deserve it." Hana concludes with a bow. The circus troupe echos her sentiment.

"Let's celebrate with drinks!" offers Jin-joo. "I'll supply the drinks."

Seo-jin thinks it's an excuse to provide a happy conclusion to an unfortunate evening, and he makes a mental note to replenish Jin-joo's liquor stash at a later date. In a flash, everyone has a drink in hand, including Hana. Someone turns on some music, and the disco ball is turning. Hana's circus troupe is her family, and right now, they're all around her, providing the support she needs.

Seo-jin hangs in the back, contemplating his can of beer rather than drinking it. Secretary Kwon appears by his side.

"I don't suppose you had any idea, Young-chan?" Seo-jin asks.

"No sir! I had no idea." replies Kwon. "I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't remember when Leader Jang passed away."

"Why would you remember something like that?" Seo-jin says. "I just wish I had known."

"Maybe it's all for the best, sir. Hana looks pretty happy right now, surrounded by friends and family."

"That's the problem with Hana, Young-chan. Looks can be deceiving. It's hard to know what she's really thinking." he replies.

Seo-jin hardly touches his drink, and Hana only sips on hers. By the end of the evening, Hana, Seo-jin and Secretary Kwon are all standing side by side, stone sober, watching the drunken antics of the circus folk.

"Amazing. No one should be that flexible." states Secretary Kwon, craning his neck while observing a drunken backbend.

Seo-jin snickers and Hana giggles. "We could work on your flexibility, Young-chan. I'm sure you could develop a wonderful backbend if you worked hard enough." says Hana teasingly.

"No thanks." replies Kwon quickly. "Men aren't meant to twist themselves into positions like that."

"Ryu does. He does yoga everyday." remarks Seo-jin. "Are you saying that he's less of a man because of it?"

"Frankly, yes. But don't tell him I said it!" replies Kwon. "He's still a little unhinged. If yoga helps him get through the day without incident, more power to him."

Ryu is still on the path to recovery, but every once in a while, Seo-jin still catches his cousin staring at him with a crazed glint in his eyes. Yoga, meditation, hypnosis… Seo-jin will fund it all if it means Ryu never looks at him like that again.

Jin-joo breaks out the vodka and someone is trying to swing from the disco ball when the trio excuses themselves and makes their way to the parking lot. Secretary Kwon bids the couple goodbye, and then it's just Seo-jin and Hana. Seo-jin opens the passenger door and waits for Hana to get in.

Instead of climbing in the car, Hana wraps her arms around Seo-jin's torso. "Thank you so much for tonight, Seo-jin." she says, voice low. "I don't know how you knew, but thank you."

Seo-jin wraps his arms around her tightly, returning her embrace. "Honestly, I didn't know, Hana. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what."

"My yearly tradition is to lock myself up for the night and drink until I pass out." Hana admits. "It felt so good to remember my father in a positive way tonight. I didn't miss being alone, either. Having good company made the guilt sting a little less."

Seo-jin pulls back to look at Hana's face. He presses his palm to her cheek. "Know that I am here for you, Hana. Always. I doubt your father would want you to feel guilty."

She nods. "I know, but I should have been there to say goodbye. To have missed the opportunity because I was being stubborn and insisting on doing things my own way… it was a very poor way for our relationship to end. But, I'm done feeling guilty, because it's not going to change anything. Instead, I'm going to focus on making the circus the best that it can be, just like my father did."

"I think your father would approve of that." Seo-jin agrees. "I bet he's already quite proud of you as it is."

Hana smiles, looking not quite convinced but appreciative of the effort. Seo-jin kisses her soundly and then drives them home. On the way, Hana tells Seo-jin more about her father, and she tells him a few stories about her wild days in Las Vegas. And when they lay side by side in bed that night, Seo-jin decides that he wants to get to know his wife better. He loves her more than anything, but there is a lot about her that he still doesn't know.

To that end, Seo-jin calls Secretary Kwon and tells him to clear his schedule for the day. With everything at the office settled, he feels free to enjoy his morning with Hana, making her breakfast. Hana always loves it when he cooks for her, and this morning is no different.

Initially, she tries to help by chopping ingredients, but Seo-jin's knife skills are much better than hers. Instead, he has her sit on the counter and chat with him while he chops everything. The radio is on in the background, but neither of them are paying much attention to it.

"Would you ever go back to America?" Seo-jin asks as he throws onion into a hot skillet.

"I wouldn't mind going back for a visit." Hana replies, sneaking bits of vegetable when she thinks Seo-jin isn't looking.

"Only rabbits eat their vegetables raw, Hana." Seo-jin scolds, moving the cutting board out of her reach. She pouts.

_Fly me to the moon_

_And let me play among the stars_

_Let me see what spring is like_

_On Jupiter and Mars_

"There is a business trip coming up." Seo-jin tells her. "Would you like to come? We could stay one, two, three, maybe even four extra days. The meeting is in San Francisco, but we could spend the weekend in Las Vegas, if you want."

_In other words_

_Hold my hand_

_In other words_

_Darling, kiss me_

Hana doesn't reply, and Seo-jin barely has time to register the fact that she's falling forward. He catches her just in time.

He shakes her shoulder. "Hana? Hana, can you hear me?"

_Fill my heart with song_

_And let me sing forever more_

_You are all I long for_

_All I worship and adore_

Hana is unresponsive. Seo-jin's fingers press against her throat, feeling for a pulse. To his relief, he finds it. Her pulse is beating frantically under his trembling fingertips.

_In other words_

_Please be true_

_In other words_

_I love you_

Six hours later, Seo-jin and Dr. Kang stand at the foot of the hospital bed that Hana is laying in. Dr. Kang is convinced that the woman is in an advanced hypnotic state. The EKG shows brain activity that doesn't correlate with the patterns of someone in a coma, and every once in a while, Hana's brow furrows as if she's in a bad dream.

"I will keep trying to reach her, but so far, Hana is unreceptive to me." Dr. Kang says. "I know that during my time with Soo-hyun, he claimed that he placed something in Hana's mind. I watched and waited, and when nothing seemed out of the ordinary, I figured that her mind had disregarded the suggestions he planted in her subconscious."

"You knew, and you didn't bother telling anyone." Seo-jin repeats, giving Dr. Kang a look that could curdle milk.

"I was afraid that trying to undo what Soo-hyun had done would do more harm than good." Dr. Kang explains, apologetic. "Hana was extremely receptive to Soo-hyun when he was working with her as Tae Joo. I'll continue to try to reach her, but in the meantime, I suggest that you start working on getting Soo-hyun released into our custody, one way or another. He may be the only one who can fix this."

_"Even a soul submerged in sleep is hard at work and helps make something of the world."_


	2. Chapter 2

"We just got word from the hospital, CEO Goo. The hospital is still refusing to release Soo-hyun." says Secretary Kwon.

Seo-jin leans back in his chair and closes his eyes, the picture of defeat. Getting Soo-hyun released, even temporarily, is impossible. The criminal charges against him were already dropped thanks to Dr. Kang's testimony and insistence that Lee Soo-hyun, AKA Tae Joo, was not even remotely in his right mind when he did the things he did. However, the psychiatric hospital is more than reluctant to release him, despite the fact that recovering the lost traumatic memory has completely cured Soo-hyun's psychosis.

The director of the hospital has been intentionally difficult. He refused to even talk to Dr. Kang. Detective Na tried convincing the man that Soo-hyun would be well guarded during an outing, but to no avail.

It is becoming clear to Seo-jin that the hospital's director is playing some sort of game, looking to use Hana's incident to his gain.

There is a knock at the door. Seo-jin ignores it.

"Having a pleasant nap, cousin?" says Ryu as he steps into the office, tisking at Seo-jin. "This is what the CEO of Wonderland does in his office? Interesting."

"Why are you here, Ryu?" asks Seo-jin. He's still leaning back in his chair, eyes closed, not even bothering to regard his older relative.

"I'm here to make a deal with you." his cousin says, clapping his hands together and rubbing as if he's gained something from the meeting already. "I want to be CEO of this great company again."

"If you're the CEO, what will I be?" Seo-jin asks, sounding less than half interested in the conversation. "If I go back to being the Director, I'll be under you. And as the heir of this empire, that's probably not going to happen. I'd love to have this conversation sometime, but can you save it for later? My wife is in the hospital-"

"And you need Soo-hyun to make her well again." Ryu finished. "I'll be the Director until your father retires. Then when you're Chairman, I'll gladly take the position of CEO. I know how to do the work, and I know the kind of thinking needed to run a large company like this one."

"You know about Soo-hyun's involvement in this? Did you tap CEO Goo's phone again?" Secretary Kwon asks, narrowing his eyes at Ryu.

"Wrong question." corrects Ryu dismissively. "The real question is: What do I have to offer? I am here to bargain, and I know Seo-jin will give anything for what I have."

"What do you have?" Seo-jin asks.

"Leverage. I have something that will force the director of the hospital to do whatever you want, and I'll be glad to give it to you in exchange for the position of Wonderland Director now and Wonderland CEO in the future."

"What kind of man are you, blackmailing Seo-jin at a time like this?" asks Secretary Kwon. The timid man looks like he's seconds away from hitting Ryu. Ryu seems to sense it and he edges away from Kwon slightly.

"He might be a smart man, Young-chan." Seo-jin replies, finally bothering to look at Ryu. "He might even prove to be conniving, if he can deliver on his promise. Fine, dear cousin. I'm desperate enough to make a deal with you. If whatever 'leverage' you have is enough to free Soo-hyun, I'll give you the title of Director today and the title of CEO when I become Chairman."

Ryu sends a text message and his secretary Seo-hee enters the office with a folder.

"He has agreed to it." he tells her. "Give him the folder."

Seo-hee hands the folder to Seo-jin. "It's all there. Pictures from the CCTVs. The guest register. The credit card numbers and history. The phone numbers they called while staying here. There's the woman's name and address. And we also have this." Seo-hee hands Seo-jin a flash drive. "Things got hot and heavy in the elevator. It's all caught on video."

"The director of the hospital will do anything to keep his wife, and more importantly his wife's family, from finding out about his affair." Ryu promises. "He's looking to go into politics, which is why he's so unwilling to let Soo-hyun go. He wants to maintain a reputation for being tough and uncompromising."

"Which is ironic since he put himself in a very compromising position." Seo-hee remarks.

Ryu and Seo-hee share a laugh together, no longer trying to hide their budding relationship.

"If this works, I'll make good on what I've said." Seo-jin promises.

Ryu nods, suddenly solemn. "It will work. When you present this information to the director, I suggest making it clear that you have people digging up more dirt on him as you speak. People like him tend to make mistakes in multiples."

"And we are actively digging, here at Wonderland and at other hotels." Seo-hee says.

Ryu and his secretary/girlfriend leave.

"What a sorry human being." says Secretary Kwon angrily as soon as the door is closed. "I can't believe you promised him that, Seo-jin. I would have stolen the information from him later if you had given me the chance."

"I wouldn't want to make you a thief, Young-chan. Besides, Ryu's right. Leverage, blackmail, corporate espionage … those are necessary skills for surviving in the corporate world. Ryu seems to favor that kind of petty thinking. Plus, it will keep him busy."

"Do you think what they've found will work?" asks Kwon.

Seo-jin plugs the flash drive into his computer and clicks on the video file. Secretary Kwon comes around the desk to see.

"Oh, that should definitely work." says Kwon, frowning at the screen.

"I wonder how those two found this." wonders Seo-jin.

"Maybe they have a 'batcave' full of CCTVs like you do, Seo-jin." suggests Kwon, jokingly.

"Probably." Seo-jin replies.

"What a creepy thought."

Seo-jin makes copies of the video before heading to the hospital with the evidence uploaded to a tablet. The meeting is a brief one and by the end of the day, Soo-hyun is declared mentally competent and cured, and the hospital director learns a very important lesson about blackmailing the guy who owns the hotel you have affairs in.

When Soo-hyun sees Seo-jin, he's quiet. The two men face each other, both silent.

"I need you to make something right, Soo-hyun." Seo-jin tells his childhood friend, voice low and cold. "Hana trusted you enough to let you into her mind, repeatedly. Dr. Kang says that something you planted in her subconscious has put her in an advanced hypnotic state. Only you can fix it."

"Hana's been hypnotized?" Soo-hyun asks, puzzled. "Did her trigger song play?"

"Trigger song?" repeats Seo-jin.

"Yes, her song was Fly Me to the Moon." admits Soo-hyun. "In hindsight, I should have chosen something a little more obscure-"

"You think?" Seo-jin snaps.

"Getting her out of it will be easy." Soo-hyun promises.

* * *

"Damn it! We've lost her." says Soo-hyun.

The beeping of the heart rate monitor is edging higher and higher. Seo-jin grabs Hana's hand and holds it tightly, hoping that somehow she'll know that she's not alone.

"While we wait for her heart rate to normalize, let's go over what we know." suggests Dr. Kang, ever the cool-headed professional. Seo-jin can't decide if he is grateful for the doctor's logical approach or if he dislikes her impersonal detachment.

"Subject is responsive until the fight or flight response is triggered, presumably by some event in the subject's subconscious, real or imagined." states Soo-hyun, robotically. "The few times we've connected to the subject during times of elevated heart rate have been random."

"Go on." encourages the doctor, jotting down notes.

"From what we've been able to get out of the subject, she's imagining herself at the themepark, under a ferris wheel. She's looking for her mother. This dream will repeat until she finds the object of the fantasy, which would be her mother. However, her heart rate spiking seems to cloud her mind, making it impossible for me to talk her through completing her quest."

"But you have spoken with her while she's panicking." argues Seo-jin.

"Briefly." Soo-hyun agrees. "But she hardly responds, and when she does, it's not very helpful. I seem to be able to reach her at random-"

"I don't think it's as random as we initially thought." interrupts Dr. Kang. "Each time that she responded when afraid, it was when you were becoming impatient with her. Those were the times that you failed to call her by name, and that's when she responded."

"Name is tied in strongly with identity. Even in sleep, we recognize our name. So if Hana isn't responding to her name, does that mean that she's forgotten who she is?" asks Soo-hyun.

"I also noticed that her speech patterns change when her heart rate is elevated." continues Dr. Kang. "Her tone is low and dull, but her sentences are short and simple. Like a child. It's possible that you are speaking to two Hanas, Soo-hyun. The first one is the adult Hana revisiting a memory from her childhood. The second is Hana as she would be during the time of the memory. Hana as a child."

"An interesting theory." says Seo-jin. "But Hana is Hana. Why would Hana's child self not know her own name?"

There is a knock at the door of the hospital room.

"Come in." says Dr. Kang.

The door opens and Jin-joo steps in. Hana's heart rate is normal now, but Seo-jin is still holding her hand. Jin-joo looks at their joined hands and smiles a sad smile.

"Thank you for coming so quickly. You grew up with Hana, right?" Dr. Kang asks.

"Yes, we grew up together." replies Jin-joo quietly.

"Were you close?"

"Yes. Growing up, Hana was like a little sister to me." Jin-joo replies.

"I think that having you around would be helpful. Hearing a familiar voice is a good thing. Seo-jin talks to her, but Hana has only known him during her adult life."

Jin-joo nods.

"In order for you to assist us, we will need to bring you up to speed on what's going on. Hana willingly went under hypnosis in an effort to find my kidnapper. The method of hypnosis used a trigger sound to bring her into a hypnotic state. Hana heard that song and is now stuck in an illusion. Soo-hyun is able to talk to her, but there are times when Hana becomes unresponsive. If we can't find a way to keep contact with her long enough to lead her out of her own mind, she will be stuck there forever."

Jin-joo nods. "I know. And Soo-hyun is the only one she can respond to. That's the only thing that's keeping me from throwing you out the window. I'm tempted to do it anyway, you rotten jerk!"

"If I can't save Hana, I'll throw myself out the window." mutters Soo-hyun.

"Jin-joo, does the ferris wheel mean anything to you?" asks Dr. Kang.

"Hana used to love the ferris wheel. We would ride it every night and look out at the park. The view was beautiful." recalls Jin-joo with a smile. "But then, Hana stopped wanting to ride it. She said she got a bad feeling around it, so we stopped going there. Now that I think about it, we stopped riding the rides at the park shortly after that."

"How old was Hana at the time?"

"She was 6 or 7. I don't really remember."

"From what Hana has been able to tell us, she is imagining that she's under the ferris wheel, looking for her mother." Soo-hyun tells her. "She is looking desperately. But as she continues to search, something happens and it becomes very hard to keep in contact with her."

"The little bit she's said after reaching that point makes no sense. It seems that her dream changes at that point, and she starts talking about a room and her grandfather." says Dr. Kang.

"How old was Hana when her mother died?" asks Seo-jin.

"Hana's mother passed away when she was 6 years old."

"And her grandfather passed away when Hana was 10." adds Seo-jin.

"So we are probably dealing with two personas. Adult Hana and child Hana." says Dr. Kang.

"That still doesn't explain why Hana stops responding to her name." Soo-hyun points out. "Hana was Hana, no matter how old."

Dr. Kang nods. "It's not completely unheard of for a child to disassociate from their name-"

"But it's not at all normal. It typically happens when children are adopted and given new names." interrupts Soo-hyun. "Two identities begin to exist within the child's mind. The one with the new name and the one with the old name. That's not the case for Hana."

The beeping of the heart rate monitor begins to speed up.

"Here we go again." groans Seo-jin, gripping Hana's hand tighter.

"What's happening?" asks Jin-joo, staring at Hana in alarm. Hana's brows are furrowed and she's moaning.

"She has reached the rough part of her dream." explains Dr. Kang. "Soo-hyun, go ahead and try talking to her. It couldn't hurt at this point."

"Hana, can you hear me?"

"Yes." Hana replies.

"Hana, I need you to tell me where you are."

"I-I'm under the ferris wheel. There is something behind me. I can't turn around!" replies Hana, voice full of fear.

"I need you to turn around, Hana. You need to face whatever it is that's behind you. I am here, and you're not alone. You're safe. I need you to believe that you're safe. Nothing in this dream can harm you. Turn around."

The heart rate monitor's beeping is inching higher and higher.

"I- I can't."

"Hana, focus on my voice." begs Soo-hyun. "Just keep talking to me."

Hana goes silent, her heart rate soaring.

"She's going to have a heart attack!" yells Jin-joo. "Do something!"

"She'll come out of it shortly." assures Dr. Kang.

"Can you hear me?" asks Soo-hyun.

"Yes." replies Hana, voice now low and calm despite the rapid beeping of the machine.

"Tell me where you are."

"I am in the room." she answers.

"Can you come out of the room?"

"No. No windows. No doors."

"Is anyone in the room with you?"

"Grandfather is gone." she replies.

Soo-hyun shares a look with Seo-jin. This is the part where they always lose contact with Hana, but they both know they have to try.

"I need you to imagine a window or door. Do you think you can do that?" Soo-hyun asks.

Hana doesn't respond. Her heart rate has gone up even higher.

"Jin-joo, you try talking to her." suggests Dr. Kang.

"That will never work." states Soo-hyun. "In this state, Hana can only hear my voice-"

"We have nothing to lose." says Seo-jin fiercely. Seo-jin is willing to try anything and do anything to get Hana back at this point. Unbeknownst to either doctor, Seo-jin plans to bring Dr. Minsky and other international specialists in to work with Hana if these attempts continue to fail.

"Hey, Hana! Why would your grandfather leave you in a room with no windows or doors?" asks Jin-joo. "That makes no sense. How did you get in there in the first place, if there's no door or window to open? Your grandfather was a strange man, but he wasn't magic. This dream you're having doesn't make any sense. You need to come out of there, okay?"

"Grandfather wants you to come out." says Soo-hyun.

"Grandfather?" Hana mutters. "Grandfather said I have to stay here."

"Your grandfather would never say that." argues Jin-joo. "His little sparrow means the world to him. You can't start believing that this dream is real, because it's not."

"Who is Sparrow?" Soo-hyun asks, looking at Jin-joo for an explanation.

"I am Sparrow." Hana replies immediately.

"Sparrow was Hana's nickname. I don't think I ever heard her grandfather call her anything else." explains Jin-joo. "The old man was weird, and honestly not very nice, but he always called Hana his sparrow. So he wasn't all bad."

"Sparrow, can you hear me?" asks Soo-hyun.

"Yes."

Dr. Kang looks at Seo-jin and smiles, looking profoundly relieved, and Seo-jin finally feels like he can breathe again. There is hope for Hana.

"Sparrow, I need you to imagine a window or door to escape out of." Soo-hyun tells her.

"I can't." she replies.

"You must. Otherwise, you'll be stuck in there forever. You need to create a way to get out of the room."

"Grandfather would get mad if I left."

"Why would he get mad, Sparrow?"

"He put me in time-out. I can't come out until he tells me I'm done." explains Hana.

"So we are dealing with a young Hana! How fascinating." exclaims Dr. Kang. It might be the Robin in Seo-jin, but at this moment, Seo-jin decides that he hates how delighted Dr. Kang is at finding that her theory was correct.

"Sparrow, your grandfather wants you to come out." Soo-hyun says.

"You aren't Grandfather. Why should I listen to you?" asks Hana.

"Because someone I care about will be hurt if you don't listen to me and come out!" yells Soo-hyun, all patience gone.

"Soo-hyun!" Dr. Kang scolds.

"Who will get hurt?" Hana asks, voice concerned and curious at the same time.

Soo-hyun doesn't reply, unsure of what to say.

"You could tell her that Jin-joo will get hurt. Or her grandfather. Or even her father?" suggests Dr. Kang.

"Will Hana get hurt if I don't come out?" she asks.

Everyone is silent. Even Jin-joo seems to understand the implications of what Hana just said.

"Tell her yes." orders Dr. Kang. "Hurry."

"Yes, Hana will be hurt if you don't come out of there." Soo-hyun replies.

Hana is silent. Seo-jin looks down at her face, wondering what exactly is going on in that mind of hers.

"Should I imagine a door or window?" she finally asks.

"Either will work." replies Soo-hyun. He looks shaken yet excited.

"I see a door, but it's locked." Hana tells him. "I don't have the key."

"I am on the other side of the door, and I'm unlocking it so you can open it. On the count of three, we are going to work together to open the door. One, two, three." Soo-hyun snaps his fingers on three.

Hana's eyes fly open and she stares up at the ceiling. She's squeezes Seo-jin's hand briefly before going limp, eyes sliding shut. It's only the beeping of the heart rate monitor that keeps Seo-jin from thinking that Hana just died right before his eyes. Her heart rate slows until it reaches a slow and steady rhythm.

"What just happened?" asks Soo-hyun after a moment of silence.

"Both selves, past and present, must have somehow observed each other." says Dr. Kang. "For Hana as a child to know Hana as an adult… that's the only explanation. The child must have realized that Hana was herself, and self-preservation instinct kicked in when she was told that she would be hurting herself if she stayed in the dream."

"What happens now?" asks Seo-jin cautiously.

"I can't say for sure, but I would guess that Hana will sleep for a while and then wake up normally, possibly without even remembering that this happened." Dr. Kang replies. "The loop is broken and she successfully resolved her dilemma."

"What about the song? How can we keep this from happening again?" Seo-jin asks.

"When Hana is stable, I'll be able to work with her and remove the song as a trigger." answers Soo-hyun. "I don't even know if I should bother trying to apologize for all of this. I'm sorry is not enough for the trouble I've caused-"

"All's well that ends well." says Seo-jin, cutting him off. Seo-jin finds himself unable to judge his former best friend. Soo-hyun had Tae-joo and Seo-jin had Terry. How could he judge?

"Seo-jin?" asks Secretary Kwon from the doorway, looking pale. "Is Hana doing okay?"

"She's on her way to recovery." Dr. Kang tells him.

"What's wrong, Young-chan?" Seo-jin knows the other man well enough to see that something isn't right.

"It's your father, Seo-jin. He's not well."

"What?"

"He's here, at the hospital. But I'm not supposed to tell you." replies Secretary Kwon. "He had a seizure during a meeting. The doctors are examining him now."

Seo-jin stands and joins Young-chan at the door. "Take me to him. You guys, can you keep an eye on Hana? Let me know if anything changes."

"I'll come with you, Seo-jin." offers Dr. Kang. "I know a thing or two about the brain. I could take a look. I'm here anyway."

"You don't have to do that." Seo-jin tells her. "You've done enough."

"I really don't mind."

The three of them leave together.

"Poor CEO Goo. Nothing is as it should be in his life right now." says Jin-joo with a frown. Jin-joo's phone chimes. "Aigoo! I'm late for rehearsal. I'm Hana's stand-in."

"Go. I'll keep an eye on things here." says Soo-hyun.

Jin-joo eyes him warily. "I guess I'll take your word for it. But if you do anything to Hana-"

"You'll throw me out the window. I know." Soo-hyun finishes.

A few minutes later, a nurse comes in and looks apologetically at Soo-hyun. "I'm going to need a few minutes with the patient. Would you mind stepping out for a moment?"

"Umm, I'd rather stay, if it's all the same to you-"

"Are you her husband?"

"No-"

"Then I'm going to have to ask you to step out for a moment for privacy's sake. It will only take a moment."

"Very well."

Soo-hyun waits and just as promised, the nurse leaves within minutes. As soon as Soo-hyun steps back into the room, he notices that the covers are pulled up higher than would be comfortable, covering Hana's face. He pulls the covers back.

Seo-jin's cell rings. He's sitting in the ICU with his father, who has been ill for a long time but hiding it, whether out of pride or misguided concern, Seo-jin isn't sure.

He sees that it's a call from the hospital.

"Yes?"

"Hana's gone!

_"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will."_


	3. Chapter 3

The days following Hana's disappearance from the hospital were some of the hardest and darkest Seo-jin had ever faced. Detective Na and the police team combed through the CCTV footage at the hospital and surrounding areas, but they weren't able to locate Hana. After that, the police team and Seo-jin's own people monitored Wonderland closely, but Hana never showed.

Now months later, Seo-jin is still haunted by the fact that the love of his life is out there somewhere, clearly not in her right mind. Hana is always in his thoughts, even as he goes through the motions of an ordinary life. It isn't just the fact that she disappeared that bothers Seo-jin. It's how she did it. The Hana he knew would never attack a nurse, exchange clothes with her and leave.

It was seriously out of character.

Seo-jin's cellphone rings. On autopilot, he answers.

"Yes."

"We have found something." Detective Na tells him, tone serious and low.

Seo-jin's heart kicks into overdrive. What did they find? Did they find Hana? Is Hana alive?

"What have you found?" Seo-jin replies, voice dead and devoid of emotion. Years of walling himself off come in handy now.

"Come to the ferris wheel." Detective Na says.

Seo-jin goes the the ferris wheel. At some point, he becomes aware the Secretary Kwon is following him. Young-chan has fallen back on old ways, tailing Seo-jin like an unwanted shadow.

Except now, Seo-jin needs that shadow, more than he's willing to admit, even to himself.

They approach Detective Na.

"What have you found?" Seo-jin asks again.

"Follow me."

They enter through an access panel and walk down a narrow flight of stairs. At the bottom, a cavernous tunnel expands into a dark, damp underground bunker. Detective Na turns up his lantern.

"After searches under the actual ferris wheel above ground revealed nothing, we gave up. However, it kept nagging at me. The schematics of the park showed absolutely nothing under the ferris wheel, but we ended up just searching on foot anyway. That's how we found this place. It was bricked and mortared, but we hammered our way in."

"Why wouldn't this show up on the schematics for the park?" Seo-jin asks.

"The schematics should show everything." adds Secretary Kwon.

"There's more. My team has been sniffing around, and we found something suspicious over here."

Detective Na leads them over to a wall that's lined with pipes. "We noticed this damage to the pipe here. It almost looks like the metal was grazed with a bullet. Along the bottom of one of the pipes, we found blood splatter."

"Blood? You found blood here?"

"Yes, that's what it appears to be. We have sent a sample to the lab for analysis."

"Could this place have been what Hana was remembering?" asks Seo-jin, more to himself than anyone else.

"We would like to continue investigating this area. We believe this to be a crime scene-"

"Do whatever you need to do." interrupts Seo-jin.

"We will keep you posted if we find anything else." promises the detective.

Seo-jin's mind is reeling. Blood. A murder. Hana, looking for her mother.

Secretary Kwon drives Seo-jin home himself, and he tries and fails to get Seo-jin to eat. Young-chan only leaves when his daughter starts calling his phone and Seo-jin uses the opportunity to make the other man leave.

Alone, Seo-jin sits and reviews the CCTV footage by the ferris wheel. His only hope is that Hana will return to that place eventually.

He's so intent on the footage that he doesn't see the person waiting in the shadows until it's too late. The room goes blurry and a woman's figure steps forward to bind his wrists.

Seo-jin awakens and finds himself in an unfamiliar place. A woman is watching him.

"So you're finally coming to. Took you long enough." she says with an unkind smile. Her long black hair is pulled back into a ponytail that makes her features more severe. "Hook him up."

Seo-jin feels a pair of headphones being placed over his ears. Then a high pitched sound plays. It's something like static and a little like feedback, and it makes his head ache badly. A memory of Tae-joo and the theatre and Dr. Kang flashes in his mind, and he realizes that he's heard this horrible sound before.

The sound continues for what feels like hours. Then the headphones are off and the silence is ringing, deafeningly loud.

When Seo-jin regains his senses, the woman is looming over him. She punches him with so much force that the chair tips over.

For the first time since Hana's disappearance, Seo-jin feels something. It's a rage that washes over him so suddenly, he hardly realizes what's happening.

The chair is set upright and the headphones are back, the hellish sound ringing in his ears again. The rage boils stronger and Seo-jin feels himself starting to black out, another consciousness clamoring for control.

Terry. They are trying to unleash Terry? Seo-jin thinks. How could anyone even know about Terry?

Seo-jin fights for control, leveling out his heart rate and meditating until the rage passes. Keeping Terry caged is so much easier now that Seo-jin and Robin are one person. Integration has left little room for Terry to take hold.

The fight has taken its toll on his body, and he slumps forward in the chair, the ropes the only thing holding him up. His body is weak, but his mind is awake and active.

"You picked up the wrong chaebol, Viper." a male voice mocks.

"Shut up, moron. This is definitely the right guy."

"No one could resist for this long. You screwed up and grabbed the wrong guy. We're gonna have to kill him now, and that's going to be a drag, you know."

"We're going to have to ask the boss what to do first, before we dispose of him. But I am sure this is the right person! Goo Seo Jin. See? His name is right here. I followed him directly from the themepark his family owns. This has to be him."

"Then why isn't his alter ego cooperating?" the male voice asks.

"I don't know. We need to make a full report. The boss will want to see Goo Seo Jin for himself."

Footsteps echo in the empty room. Seo-jin is alone.

Seo-jin doesn't realize that he's fallen asleep until something startles him awake. He sits up, muscles protesting his every move. Someone is outside the room and walking closer. She steps into the room and they make eye contact.

Seo-jin is staring into Hana's eyes and she is staring right back. He says her name but the tape across his mouth muffles the sound, making it unintelligible.

Hana sighs and looks around the room. Her eyes fall on a usb drive and laptop on the table. She grabs the drive and smiles, tucking it into the inner pocket of her leather jacket.

She turns to Seo-jin and points a gun at his head. Her finger tightens over the trigger.

Seo-jin realizes that the last thing he's going to see in this life is Hana, face hard like stone, eyes cold and dark. This person, the one who will take his life, isn't the Hana he knew and loved. But she's alive, and she is well enough, and there is always hope for recovery, some way and some how. And more than anything, Seo-jin hopes to God that Hana won't remember shooting him, if she ever comes back to her senses.

Hana stands with her gun drawn, finger still tight over the trigger. She is motionless. Then her wrist trembles. Finally she drops the gun to her side and stares at the gun in her hand, clearly puzzled.

The gun comes up again and she takes aim, right between Seo-jin's eyes. Once again, she's motionless.

"What the hell?" she finally mutters.

Hana brings the gun to her own head. When she squeezes the trigger, Seo-jin yells for her to stop. Hana stops just short of firing and once again brings the gun to her side, studying it.

"What's wrong with me?" she asks. "I could shoot myself before I could shoot this guy."

Hana shakes her head and makes to run off. She only makes it to the doorway before she stops, hand over her heart.

"What is this?" she asks. "I feel like my heart is going to fly out of my chest!"

She turns and looks at Seo-jin. She walks back to him, each step begrudging and slow.

"You have to be kidding me." she growls. She rips the tape off of Seo-jin's mouth.

Seo-jin says nothing, opting instead to study Hana. Her eyes are wild, and mouth is set and stern. Whoever this is, it isn't Hana.

"If you say or do anything that draws their attention, I'll kill you, got it?"

Seo-jin doesn't honor that with a reply. She moves behind him and unties the ropes.

"We have to get out of here." she says.

Seo-jin is just getting to his feet when Hana stops and draws her gun again, taking aim at the door. A man steps into the room.

"Sparrow, what are you doing?" he asks quietly. "Your orders are to kill him, not save him."

"I can't kill him." responds Sparrow.

"Pity. I'll just have to take care of it myself." the man says.

"I can't let you harm him, either."

"Are you really going to defy orders, Sparrow? Once you cross the General, there's no going back."

"You!" Sparrow says to Seo-jin. "Tie the rope to the table there and lower yourself out the window."

"What about you-"

"Do it now!"

Seo-jin ties the rope to the table and gets ready to lower himself down.

"What about you?" Seo-jin asks. He'll never leave with her here like that.

"Sparrow, listen to reason. You have no choice but to follow orders. The moment he starts climbing down the rope, I'll make enough noise to get the attention of every agent in this compound. You'll never make it out of here alive. You're injured, and he's a liability. He'll fall back into their possession once you fall. Shooting him is a mercy compared to what they'll do-"

Sparrow shoots the man in the leg and then spins around in the direction of the rope. The man is yelling and cursing, and there are voices yelling in the distance.

"I told you to go down the rope! Hurry up!" she hisses. "I'll follow you."

Seo-jin grabs Hana around the waist and launches them both over the windowsill. The metal table bends and squeals under their combined weight. The tape that once covered Seo-jin's mouth is the only thing keeping the rope from ripping the skin of his hand as they slide down. The tape is starting to wear thin and it grows hot against Seo-jin's skin.

They hit the ground and run. Hana runs fast, keeping pace with Seo-jin easily. As she runs, she can't help but bring her hand up to her shoulder. When she pulls it back, her palm is red with blood.

They are running through a multilevel compound. There are agents everywhere, and they barely dodge them as they run. Escape is seeming impossible. There are too many people, and both Seo-jin and Hana are tiring.

Hana is a master at using tables, chairs and other items as weapons. That has saved them from capture several times. Seo-jin notices that Hana is very reluctant to use her gun, so she's either out of ammo or unwilling to kill her way out.

The enemy has fallen back, letting Seo-jin and Hana run free. Seo-jin soon sees why. The compound is actually an abandoned oil rig, and there is nothing but water waiting for them when they reach the edge.

Seo-jin grabs Hana and dives off the edge, straight into the water. The surface of the water is soon peppered with gunshots, but Seo-jin has Hana safely under the rig itself.

They are together in a small enclave breathing what little bit of air the metal pocket contains. They wait until the gunshots stop. Seo-jin is planning some sort of escape attempt when a boat pulls up, just a few feet away. Seo-jin motions to the boat.

"That might be our salvation." he tells her.

"Or it could be our death." she counters.

"If we stay here, death is assured." argues Seo-jin.

They swim along the bottom of the rig and pull themselves up on the boat. It's a police boat.

"If the police catch me, I'm in trouble." whispers Hana.

Seo-jin quickly ushers Hana into the boat's small cabin. They hide out of sight as best as they can. The boat lurches and takes off, taking them away from the oil rig. The fact that the cabin wasn't searched tells Seo-jin that the police aren't working with whoever is stationed on the rig. It most likely was an unexpected visit.

That means that Seo-jin could most likely get help from the police. But Hana's insistence that police involvement would be trouble has him wondering what exactly Hana has been up to. Plus, the last thing he wants is to lose Hana to the justice system. He wants Hana to see Dr. Kang immediately, and having her in jail will get in the way of that.

So they hide like rats, waiting for the ship to stop. It does and Seo-jin plans their escape. The boat is still, and everything outside is quiet.

"We've stopped." Seo-jin tells Hana. She looks up at him and Seo-jin knows she's not doing well.

"No hospitals." she says. "No doctors. No pharmacies. They'll find me."

"Okay, got it." he assures her.

Her cheeks are flaming and her lips are almost white. If Seo-jin doesn't do something soon, Hana will die.

He pulls open the door of the cabin and finds himself nose to nose with Detective Na.

"What? S-Seo-jin? What are you doing here?" he asks, having the sense to whisper.

"I need your help." Seo-jin answers.

_Strange, what love does..._


	4. Chapter 4

Detective Na's idea of helping is to not notice that Seo-jin is in the cabin of the boat. His idea of helping also includes calling Secretary Kwon, "just because he felt like it." He also accidentally glitches all the CCTVs at the harbor, because technology was never his strong suit.

Secretary Kwon gets Seo-jin and Hana safely out of the harbor and into the back of his car. Seo-jin texts Soo-hyun and asks him to meet at the animal exhibit in Wonderland. Soo-hyun is there when they arrive.

Soo-hyun treats Hana's shoulder using the tools and supplies that the veterinarians at the themepark use on the animals.

"How long have you had this wound?" asks Soo-hyun.

"It's about a week old." she replies.

"A week old? It should be looking a lot better-."

"This is the third time it's ripped open." she replies.

Seo-jin frowns and steps into the hallway, closing the door behind him. So his Hana has some sort of alternate personality? He can deal with that. But this personality is some sort of reckless criminal who is abusing her body? That's a huge problem.

Seo-jin's biggest concern when Robin would take over his body was waking up covered in crumbs, dressed like a colorblind clubber. The only injuries that ever happened were because of Seo-jin's own bodyguards.

This alter ego has to go.

Seo-jin sends Dr. Kang a text on an untraceable phone he had Soo-hyun bring.

"Hello Dr. Kang. It's Seo-jin."

A few seconds pass.

"Seo-jin? Why don't you call me. It's been a while since I heard your voice." Dr. Kang replies.

_Call me to prove that you are who you say you are..._

"Texting is better for now. By the way, every time I see a palm tree, I think of you." Seo-jin texts back.

_Yes, it's me. I remember the picture you showed me at the start of every therapy session. The beach with the palm tree._

"You said that we should grab a coffee sometime. Let's meet soon, okay?" Seo-jin sends the message, hoping that she'll understand and play along.

"Sure, that would be great." she says. "I'll go first and order. How hot do you like your coffee? I like my coffee at a comfortable temperature…I don't like getting burned!"

Seo-jin ponders how to reply. Dr. Kang knows they aren't really talking about coffee. Heat level might refer to the level of danger he's currently in. He has no doubt that Dr. Kang knows that he's been missing a few days.

"I'll take mine hot. Very hot." he texts.

"Okay. Let's meet at that one place you refused to take me before. The one you said was off limits. I think I'd like to see it now that we're feeling more friendly toward each other."

_Meet at Director Min's shop._

"Could you order an extra? I'm bringing a friend." Seo-jin texts.

"Got it. Will do." Dr. Kang replies. "When should we meet?"

"Not sure yet. I'll text back when I know."

Seo-jin hears Secretary Kwon moaning and whining. He throws open the door to see what's going on.

A machine is set up between Hana and Secretary Kwon and a blood transfusion has already started. Hana is pale as death, and Secretary Kwon doesn't look much better.

"I hate this so much." moans Young-chan, eyes shut tight.

_I thought you were a psychiatrist, Soo-hyun..._

"Soo-hyun." Seo-jin says calmly, wanting to get his friend's attention to ask him without scaring Young-chan to death. If he questioned Soo-hyun's abilities now, Seo-jin was sure Young-chan would lose it.

"Did you know that I was set to become a medical doctor, Seo-jin?" Soo-hyun replies without bothering to turn away from the machine. "I switched majors when I began to feel my sanity slipping. I knew something was wrong with my mind, and I wanted to fix it. But they say that the study of mental health doesn't make one mentally healthy, and that ended up being the case for me."

"Why are you talking about this right now, Soo-hyun?" Young-chan whines. "I don't want to think about you being a crazy person when you're draining my blood like this!"

"Sorry." says Soo-hyun sheepishly. "Now probably isn't the best time, you're right. This just has me feeling all nostalgic, getting to play doctor here. In another life, I'd be a doctor, saving lives."

"How are you feeling?" asks Soo-hyun to Hana after a few more minutes pass.

"I feel like I'll live now." she replies.

"Alright, that's probably enough blood then." Soo-hyun says.

The tube is removed and a gray and clammy Young-chan excuses himself to find a bathroom.

She is laying there, eyes closed. Her color is still off, but it's looking a little better.

"I'm not a full fledged doctor, Seo-jin, but I can tell you that if that shoulder is reinjured again, the damage will probably be permanent."

"Can she be moved?" Seo-jin asks.

"She will have to be. We can't stay here much longer." Soo-hyun states. "Whoever took you will know to search the park."

"Yes, we've got to get out of here." she says suddenly, surprising them both. She sits up and swings her legs over the edge of the couch she's laying on. "I don't know where to go, but the longer we stay here, the better the chances of getting caught are."

Seo-jin puts his arm in front of her to keep her from standing. "I'll find a safe place for you-"

"I'm not worried about myself. I'm worried about you." she interrupts. "I should have just killed you when I had the chance. Now you're in danger, and it's my fault."

"You? Kill Seo-jin?" repeats Soo-hyun.

"Yes. Now is not the time to explain." she replies, pushing Seo-jin's arm out of the way and testing her balance.

Young-chan is back and looking oh so thankful not to be hooked up to a machine. They slip out of the park together and part ways with Secretary Kwon, ensuring that he's safely on the road before taking off in Soo-hyun's car. They drive to Director Min's shop. Seo-jin texts Dr. Kang that he's on his way.

"I'll need two extra coffees, if you don't mind."

"Got it. Park on the lefthand parking lot and walk to the shop. I'll be there."

They park where she said and turn to walk to the shop. A shiny black van pulls directly in front of them, blocking the way. The door slides open to reveal Dr. Kang in the back, waiting.

"Climb in, hurry!" she orders.

Soo-hyun climbs in without question, but Hana hesitates.

"Trust me." Seo-jin says.

She climbs in reluctantly.

Seo-jin follows after her and the door slides shut behind him. The van speeds off as soon as they're safely inside.

"How did you manage this, Dr. Kang?" Seo-jin asks.

"In my line of work, I deal with people from all walks of life. You're not the only powerful person I've worked with, Seo-jin. I have connections." she replies with a smile and a wink.

Hana is sitting across from Dr. Kang, studying her openly. Even with the bloodloss and the medications, her gaze is calculating.

"Good to see you, Dr. Kang. When the van pulled up, I was worried." says Soo-hyun with a nervous laugh.

Dr. Kang smiles apologetically. "I wish I could have prepared you better, but I didn't know if our communications were being monitored or not."

"Where are you taking us?" Hana asks.

"We are headed to a safehouse. Once inside, you all will be absolutely safe."

"We will need bodyguards." she states.

"Bodyguards are already there, waiting. As I said, you will be safe."

She nods. "Very well. I have a few people of my own that I'd like to add."

"You want to bring in your own bodyguards?" asks Soo-hyun. "How do you know if you can trust them?"

"How do I know that the bodyguards there can be trusted?" she retorts. "If the people I bring in cross me, they know what will happen. That's better than all the trust in the world."

Dr. Kang is quietly observing as Hana discusses the pros and cons of hired mercenaries with Soo-hyun. Seo-jin recognizes the look in her eyes. She's silently sifting through information, diagnosing and rediagnosing.

They arrive at a house in a secluded location and pull into the garage. Guards open the van and escort the group inside.

Hana immediately beings inspecting the house and Soo-hyun follows her along with a bodyguard. After a quick perimeter check downstairs, she bounds upstairs.

As soon as Hana is out of earshot, Dr. Kang looks to Seo-jin. "So, that personality is the reason Hana has been gone all this time? It's no wonder we couldn't find her. She seems to think she's a secret agent or something."

Seo-jin sees Hana in his mind's eye, aiming the gun at his head. An unpleasant memory he'll never forget. "It seems so."

"Has she said anything about Hana?" Dr. Kang asks. "She might not even realize that she's someone else's alter ego. If it isn't presented to her gently, she could easily become violent."

Seo-jin nods, opting not to share his experience with the trigger happy side of Hana with Dr. Kang. "Let's take it slowly then. I think that's a good idea."

"Has she asked you anything at all?" Dr. Kang presses. "She seems to trust you. Why does she trust you and go along with what you say?"

Hana bounds back down the stairs before Seo-jin can answer, which is fine with Seo-jin since he can't give Dr. Kang a straight answer at this point.

"So, does the house have your approval then?" asks Dr. Kang to Hana.

"All the basics are here. With a few slight alterations, it will be safe enough." she answers. She gives the doctor the once over before turning away. "Thank you." she says quietly.

Dr. Kang smiles. "Anything to help. I realize that I haven't yet introduced myself. I'm Dr. Kang." she extends her hand to Hana.

Hana stares at her hand for a second before shaking it reluctantly but firmly. "I'm Sparrow. It's a real pleasure to meet you, I'm sure." The words are said through clinched teeth, and the smile Sparrow gives Dr. Kang is cold and brittle.

Seo-jin watches the two women exchange pleasantries. Sparrow. His Hana has been replaced by Sparrow.

Dr. Kang opts to stay the night in the safehouse, on the grounds of feeling odd about leaving so late at night. Seo-jin knows it's a tactic to get Hana's alter ego to feel familiar with her. Soo-hyun stays too. Soon Seo-jin and Sparrow are the only ones awake.

A bodyguard approaches Sparrow with a box in hand. "Here are the supplies you requested."

Sparrow nods curtly. "Thank you."

Seo-jin watches as Sparrow pulls out a laptop computer. So far, she has been ignoring him, but she hasn't given any indication of wanting him to leave.

"You like working with computers?" he asks.

Sparrow eyes him before answering. "I like them well enough. I need to know a bit more about them, though. Right now, I only know the basics."

"The basics?" Seo-jin prods.

"Email and chat. VPN networks. Proxies. Encrypted communications. Things like that." she replies with a frown. "I couldn't take one apart and reassemble it. I couldn't built a computer from scratch. So I'm still not very proficient with computers."

Seo-jin rolls his eyes and huffs. "You do realize that most people simply use the computer, right? No one considers being able to assemble and reassemble the machine necessary. That's what repair shops are for."

Sparrow huffs. "I'm not like most people then, I guess. I need to know all there is to know about something."

Seo-jin ponders this. Hana herself is only interested in what technology can do. She has no love for tech itself, and she would never dream of assembling a machine.

_Just how different is this personality, anyway?_ he wonders.

Sparrow digs around in her coat and pulls out the USB drive Seo-jin saw her steal along with a couple of others. She lays them on the table and then grabs a bright green one, plugging it into one of the USB ports on the laptop. Then she boots the computer from the USB drive.

"You carry an operating system around with you? Aish, you're a total nerd." Seo-jin mocks, unable to help himself.

"Hey!" she shouts loudly, scaring Seo-jin half to death with her indignation. "I am not a nerd! I do this out of necessity. It's more convenient than trying to carry an entire computer around everywhere. I need to travel light. A computer wouldn't have survived the water at the General's base anyway."

"How _did_ you plan to escape from there, anyway?" Seo-jin can't help asking. If she's going to live in Hana's body, getting herself killed out of sheer stupidity isn't going to work. "You had no boat or any escape method available. You went there without a plan?"

Sparrow purses her lips and stays quiet for a moment. Seo-jin realizes that he's said too much, too soon. Teasing her, prodding her, angering her… probably not the best of ideas.

_I'm going crazy_. he thinks to himself.

"I was undercover at the base." she begins, surprising Seo-jin. "I was supposed to drop something off, find you, kill you and get out. I had scuba gear prepared and waiting. But then I found myself with an extra body to deal with, and my superior found me. The plan wasn't an option at that point."

Seo-jin wonders again who would want him dead, and who would send a tiny little woman into a base full of armed criminals to do it.

Sparrow is staring at the screen, having established internet access. "Honestly, you're the reason we made it out of there alive." she admits without looking at him. "When I told you to use the rope to escape, I didn't expect you to actually make it work. I just wanted to give you a chance to live, even if it was a total long shot."

Sparrow turns toward him suddenly. "Let me see your hand." she demands, holding out her own hand to take his.

Seo-jin intentionally gives her the wrong hand. She slaps his shoulder. Hard.

"The other one, smart guy."

Reluctantly, he gives her his right hand. It's burned and raw, the rope having taken away much of the skin.

"Aish! Why didn't you have Mr. Doctor Man take a look at this?"

"I've been rather busy." he replies, pulling his hand away.

Sparrow tsks and digs around in the box, pulling out a small first aid kit and ointment. Wordlessly, she takes out antibacterial spray and looks at Seo-jin expectantly.

"Here, I'll do it." he says.

"I insist." she replies, holding out her hand for his.

He moves to take the bottle from her but she dodges.

"My, my. Aren't you a childish one." she teases. "Is it that hard to let me help you?"

As she stands in front of him, hands on hips, Seo-jin is silent. What can he say? Having Sparrow tending to his palm reminds him too much of Hana. After all the months of pain from being apart, it's just too much. Seo-jin has finally found his breaking point, and oddly enough, it's this.

She must read something in his eyes because she places the spray bottle on the table and turns back to the monitor. Seo-jin realizes how counterproductive it is to refuse help from Sparrow. He needs to be on good terms with her if he wants her to cooperate later on.

"I'm sorry." he says. "The only person I've ever let tend to me like that is my wife."

"How romantic." Sparrow replies, eyes still focused on the screen. "Put some of that on and wrap your hand in gauze. I'll tell Mr. Doctor Man to have a look at it in the morning. Unless that would make you feel uncomfortable?" she asks, turning and looking at Seo-jin with a mocking grin.

Seo-jin feels relieved and irritated at the same time. And so he does the only logical thing he can think of and sticks his tongue out at her, letting the Robin in him take over in that moment.

She rolls her eyes. "Stupid boy." she mutters, barely audible. Before Sparrow can hide it, Seo-jin sees the ghost of a smile on her face.

Ending quote: I **love** you. You annoy me more than I ever thought possible.


End file.
